  |
|
During the recent crisis in Sierra Leone, United Methodist Bishop Joseph Humper (left) and the Reverend D. H. Caulker (right), pastor of King Memorial UMC in Freetown, have played important leadership roles in an extraordinary effort by the multifaith religious community in Sierra Leone to aid the peace process. Both United Methodists are members of the Interreligious Council of Sierra Leone (IRCSL), a broad-based organization representing the major Christian and Muslim organizations in the country. In the past two months, the IRCSL has played what may be a critical role as an advocate for government dialogue with the rebels toward the goal of bringing hostilities to an end.
Prior to the rebels' entry into Freetown on January 6, the public's mood was decidedly hostile toward any kind of government dialogue with the rebels. Despite the public's negative mood, members of the IRCSL met with Sierra Leone's President Kabbah, encouraging him to enter into purposeful dialogue. Their hope was for negotiations "that could lead to a final and lasting resolution of the eight years of senseless war in Sierra Leone." They offered to take the news of their support to the public and their constituencies. On February 7, the president announced his willingness to negotiate with the rebels and received the IRCSL's offer of full support to assist in the process.
In the past six weeks, the Interreligious Council of Sierra Leone has: (1) developed a public statement calling for dialogue, (2) held press conferences, and (3) met with the president, members of parliament, paramount chiefs and traditional leaders, and UN officials and their constituencies. The IRCSL also formed a Sensitization Committee to develop daily radio and television messages on the need for resolution of the conflict. A working group was formed of members of the IRCSL, parliament, and paramount chiefs to come up with ways for government, the UN, and other parties to resolve the conflict and help the nation recover. The IRCSL also worked through the World Conference on Religion and Peace to establish connections with an unnamed northern European government that might possibly act as a third-party negotiator between rebels and the government of Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone is a nation of many faiths. About 60% of its people are Muslim, 10% are Christian, and at least 30% practice indigenous forms of worship. The United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Olara Otunnu, recently observed that "it was rare that a society emerging from protracted conflict remained as united and cohesive at the national level as Sierra Leone was today, especially given its diversity in regional and religious terms."
Religious communities in Sierra Leone have proved themselves to be among the strongest
civil actors in the country. Broad recognition of the importance of
religious communities in Sierra Leone is evidenced by the fact that they have been repeatedly
called
upon by political leaders to coordinate critical social services, undertake advocacy, mediate claims
of legitimacy, and assist in the formulation of conditions for peace between conflicting parties.
Thus,
engaging the religious communities toward the development of a culture of human rights must be
a major
element in any strategy for the achievement of a durable and sustainable peace in the country. In
his
speech at the National Conference on the Role of Religion in Peace and Reconciliation in Sierra
Leone on April 1, 1997, President Kabbah paid tribute to the role of the these communities,
saying,
"Through the persistent prayers, moral and spiritual support, and fearless vocal pronouncements
of these leaders, our country was able to surmount the difficulties of the transitional period from
military rule to a democratically elected government." He called for continued mobilization of
the religious communities so that they could act as "constructive forces" in the "peace building
process." Again, in his speech on February 7, 1999, President Kabbah called on civil
groups to begin consultations immediately, and try to build national consensus on how
government
should conduct the peace process."
A church that was burned during the conflict.
The foundations of an institutional structure for interreligious cooperation were laid in 1996 and early 1997, culminating in a meeting on April 1, 1997, which established the Interreligious Council of Sierra Leone (IRCSL). When the May 1997 military coup took place, the nascent organization became a potent advocate for return to democratic rule during a military junta's nine-month regime. In the spring and summer of 1998, the IRCSL, in partnership with an international nongovernmental organization called the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP), formulated a project to equip religious communities for rebuilding their country in what was then thought would be a "post-conflict" environment.
Funding for the project was secured from the United Nations, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Swedish government, with a number of additional donors poised to support the project in 1999. WCRP and the IRCSL began implementing the project in the fall of 1998, focusing on human rights education and advocacy, peace and reconciliation, and the reintegration of children of war. During the crisis of January 1999, UMCOR and WCRP provided emergency financial assistance to the IRCSL to keep religious leaders functioning during the crisis, and they developed a number of other emergency response actions to assist the religious communities in maintaining their advocacy roles.
For over eight years, Sierra Leone has been embroiled in a civil war that became characterized as a "complex emergency." Complex emergencies are multidimensional humanitarian and civil crises, usually involving some combination of mass population movement, severe food insecurity, macroeconomic collapse, acute civil and military conflict, and even genocide.
Situated on the West Coast of Africa, Sierra Leone is now the world's poorest country, with a literacy rate of only 31%, an average life expectancy of 49 years, and a GDP per capita of US $960. About one-fifth of the country's five million people are displaced. The official language of Sierra Leone is English, but Mende, Temne, and Krio are more widely spoken.
In March 1998, Sierra Leone's elected President, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, was restored to power by ECOMOG, a Nigerian-led West African peacekeeping force, following a military coup that had taken place nine months earlier. The rebels fled to the bush but continued fighting in the countryside. The government and international community believed the rebels would soon be defeated and turned their attention to plans for restoration and rehabilitation of the country's infrastructure as though the conflict were as good as over.
Estimates of the rebels lack of capacity to continue the conflict proved to be mistaken. After a series of victories in the north in December 1998, rebels mounted an attack on the capital city, Freetown, on January 6, 1999. They briefly took substantial portions of the city, causing great loss of life and substantial destruction of housing and infrastructure. ECOMOG forces were subsequently able to expel the rebel forces to the surrounding hills. President Kabbah and his government remain in power. An estimated 4,000 people were killed in Freetown during the January offensive, and up to 150,000 were displaced from their homes when rebels set them afire. The rebels continue their attacks on towns in the provinces. Proposals for dialogue between the government and the rebels are currently under discussion. The situation remains highly volatile. Recent statements by the current Nigerian president and by several candidates for the presidency indicate that Nigeria is considering withdrawing its troops from Sierra Leone within the next year.
February 23, 1999
The Reverend Wendy Pomeroy, Conflict Transformation Program Director for the World Conference on Religion and Peace, is a United Methodist clergywoman working with United Methodists, other Christians, and Muslims in Sierra Leone to help restore the war-ravaged country. Photographs by Wendy Pomeroy. Used by permission.